บท 73: Journey to Kyoto

Currently, about ten minutes after the bullet train has left Tokyo station.

"Wow, the coin can stand without falling even though the train is moving fast. Human technology is always amazing."

The joyful face of Panda sits by the window, speaking cheerfully.

He observes the coin with sparkling eyes.

He wanted to prove the stability of the bullet train.

The result?

Remarkable!

"Salmon."

Toge pats his shoulder as if understanding his feelings.

Sitting next to Eiji, Maki supports her face with her hand, watching Panda's ridiculous behavior. She asks, "Is this your first time riding the bullet train, Panda?"

"Yes, this is actually my first time on the bullet train. Besides, I'm a Panda; I can't roam in public because my appearance would stand out in the crowd."

Except for fulfilling tasks, Panda rarely roams to avoid drawing attention.

"I think it's okay if you roam in the city occasionally, Panda."

Opening his eyes, Eiji turns and looks out the window. The scenery outside changes rapidly due to the high speed of the train. Like Panda, it's his first time on the bullet train, but he doesn't feel any excitement, just a sense of emptiness.

"But my appearance—"

"Other than being slightly conspicuous, nothing will happen. Don't forget, this is Japan. Many people in cosplay walk the streets, and their costumes are sometimes stranger than your appearance. On the contrary, you'll be very popular when pedestrians see you."

Eiji interrupts Panda and shares his opinion.

"Huh? Popular? Me? Why do you think so, Kamiki?"

Panda points at himself with an incredulous expression.

"Because you're a Panda." Eiji gives a short answer.

"Salmon." Toge nods in agreement.

"Maki, do you understand?"

Not getting the desired answer, Panda asks Maki.

Glancing at Eiji with a subtle look, Maki nods and replies, "Panda is a cute animal and very popular in the zoo. What Kamiki said is not wrong; if you roam in the city, women and children might want to take photos with you. No one will think you're a real panda because you can talk, and your large size. At most, people will assume a middle-aged man is wearing a Panda costume."

"So that's how it is. I understand. I'll give it a try later in Kyoto."

As if enlightened, Panda is happy thinking about the prospect of not being confined to the school environment.

"But Kamiki, I didn't expect you to comfort Panda; turns out you're quite nice. If only you weren't always expressionless, which makes people misunderstand and think you're very cold."

Maki smiles thinly, her impression of Eiji changing slightly for the better.

"That's not comforting; I'm just stating facts."

"Tsk, stop acting tsundere; it's disgusting."

"I'm not tsundere."

"Yes, yes, yes, all tsundere will never admit they're tsundere."

"..."

Eiji's eyebrows slightly furrow, but he stops arguing with her.

Although Maki is different from an ordinary woman, her essence is still that of a woman.

They are utterly unreasonable and unwilling to yield!

"Tuna?"

Taking out a box of Pocky, Toge offers them one by one, including Eiji.

"Thank you."

"Salmon Roe."

Still not understanding the meaning of the other party's words, Eiji says thank you and puts the end of the Pocky into his mouth.

'This is refreshing and delicious.'

Before mastering the Reversed Cursed Technique, he used to consume sweet foods to stimulate his brain. As a result, his favorite food is sweet.

'Even with the bullet train, it takes over two hours to reach Kyoto.'

Leaning his face against the window frame, Eiji thinks with his eyes closed as if sleeping.

"Hey, I want to know your plans when you arrive in Kyoto."

"Panda, don't forget we're participating in the Goodwill Event of the Schools, not on a sightseeing tour."

Maki couldn't help but remind Panda, who seemed to forget their original purpose for going to Kyoto.

"I haven't forgotten, don't worry, Maki. But, there must be some free time, right? It's a shame if we don't visit famous tourist spots in Kyoto."

"You're right. Besides, the school covers the travel expenses, it would be a waste if we don't take advantage of it. I want to visit Sanjusangendo Hall; what about you, Panda, Inumaki, Kamiki?"

Maki is curious about what kind of places they want to visit. Especially the man next to her whose emotions cannot be read.

"Tenryuu Temple, Kinkaku Temple, Ginkaku Temple, and Kiyomizu Temple. Those are all famous places in Kyoto."

"How much do you like temples?"

Seeing Panda's chosen destinations, Maki shakes her head and then looks at Toge.

[Kyoto Tower].

Toge types on his phone and shows the screen to them.

Even Eiji opens his left eyelid to look, then closes his eyes again as if uninterested.

"Kyoto Tower, huh... There's already Tokyo Tower, why build another tower? People in Kyoto really know how to attract tourists."

"You're wrong; Kyoto Tower was built not to attract tourists but for comparison."

"Do you know something, Kamiki? Tell us."

Seeing Eiji speak, how could Maki miss this opportunity?

"Mustard greens."

"I want to hear it too!"

Panda and Toge look at her with hope.

"..."

Feeling the gaze towards him, Eiji ponders for a moment, then decides to speak.

"When was Tokyo Tower built?"

Maki and Toge don't know, but Panda is knowledgeable, and he answers.

"In 1958!"

Eiji nods slightly at the correct answer and continues.

"As we all know, there's an unspoken dislike between Tokyo and Kyoto. When Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 1,200 years."

"What's Tokyo? More than 100 years ago, it was just a small, shabby fishing village. Even today, many people in Kyoto think that Tokyo lacks cultural heritage and has vulgar and unreasonable hill residents."

"When Tokyo Tower was built, the title of the tallest building attracted a lot of attention. People in Kyoto stopped at that moment and soon rolled up their sleeves, preparing to build a tall tower to regain face, which is now Kyoto Tower."

"Of course, due to financial limitations, they failed to seize the title of the tallest tower."

The height of Tokyo Tower is 333 meters, while Kyoto Tower is only 131 meters tall.

"Quite funny. Who would have thought that the history behind the construction of Kyoto Tower, one of Kyoto's famous tourist spots, is actually due to absurd competition."

Knowing the truth behind Kyoto Tower, Maki feels her view of the world changing.

"Compared to Kyoto, which has a cultural heritage, Tokyo is somewhat inferior. However, in infrastructure development, Kyoto is quite behind because they maintain buildings from the old era."

Panda doesn't think too much about this. After all, the Kyoto and Tokyo people's animosity has nothing to do with him. Moreover, he's a panda, not a human.

"..."

After finishing his story, Eiji remains silent and just listens to their conversation.

Mostly Panda talks a lot, Toge occasionally responds, and Maki, who becomes Panda's conversation partner.

Where is Gojo Satoru?

He already headed to Kyoto the day before, leaving the students to go on their own without the supervision of a teacher.

Eiji has never been to Kyoto. Therefore, he cannot teleport to a place he hasn't visited before. That's why he took the bullet train with Panda and the others.

"Let's take a short nap."